Monthly Archives: November 2015
The Weirdest Frankenstein Movie Monsters Ever
With Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy's Victor Frankenstein debuting this week, we've gotten to thinking once again about the many, many weird takes on the classic monster tale that have hit screens over the years. And so it's time to revisit the weirdest Frankenstein movie monsters ever!
There have been many movie versions of the Frankenstein Monster, owing of course to the fact that Mary Shelley’s original 1818 novel is in the public domain. In other words, anyone and everyone can make a Frankenstein movie if they want to. And pretty much anyone and everyone has.
But in order to find some fresh new way to depict the Monster, filmmakers have often steered very far afield of not just the Shelley concept, but also the (substantially different already and very much not public domain) classic Universal/Boris Karloff version. And things have often gotten weird and freaky along the way. Here are some of the weirdest and freakiest…
Top Fallout 4 Graphical Enhancement Mods of the Week
Fallout 4 has only been out for two weeks, but never underestimate the PC gaming community – there are already a ton of awesome mods out there to change up your adventures in the Wasteland.
Last week, we checked out a bunch of awesome, but random Fallout 4 mods to get a feel for the variety modders had to offer so far. This week we decided to focus on graphical/environmental enhancement mods and optimization tweaks that will help you get the beautiful open world of Fallout 4 looking (and performing) just the way you want it.
As a reminder, remember to always exercise caution when downloading files from the internet, even if they are from trusted sources. With that said, let's dive in!
FTP ‘Entry Level’ PES 2016 Edition Confirmed, Coming December
As per recent rumours, a free-to-play edition of Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 is coming December 8th.
The edition is being described by Konami as 'entry level', and at this stage has only been announced for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. It will include an Exhibition Mode with the choice of seven teams - including Bayern Munich, Juventus, AS Roma, Brazil and France - a full training section, and unlimited access to PES' MyClub feature.
Although Konami describes the free-to-play edition of PES 2016 as an "overview of the game’s stunning levels of control", it's also promising it will "be compatible with all future gameplay and content updates throughout the entire PES 2016 season".
Apple Buys Star Wars Motion-Capture Company Faceshift
Apple has purchased Faceshift, the company responsible for the motion-capture technology used in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Faceshift specialises in 3D animation software to copy facial expressions of an actor. While Apple has purchased the company, details regarding how much the deal cost, or what Apple plans to do with Faceshift, have not been disclosed as of writing.
An Apple representative sent the following statement to TechCrunch: “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans.”
Faceshift differs from traditional motion-capture technology. Whereas most motion-capture uses markers on a person’s face to track facial movement, Faceshift is possible without markers, and without the heavy costs associated with motion-capture.
Bethesda Shares Fallout 4’s The Mysterious Stranger Ringtones
Bethesda has made three Fallout 4 The Mysterious Stranger audio stingers available as ringtones.
A fan of The Mysterious Stranger - which can be unlocked once you get your Luck up to 4 - Major Nelson contacted Bethesda to request the audio stingers you hear when in combat.
"Like many of you, I’ve been playing a lot of Fallout 4," said Nelson. "One of my favorite perks is The Mysterious Stranger. I contacted my friends at Bethesda and they were kind of enough to send them to me to share. Enjoy."
Visit Major Nelson's blog to preview, and download, the tracks.
$500 Limited Edition God of War Statue Coming Next Week
Pre-orders are now live for the PlayStation Gear God of War statue.
The Kratos statue retails for $599 - and releases on December 9 - but anyone who pre-orders now gets $100 knocked off the asking price, and a free God of War t-shirt.
The statue’s release marks the 10-year anniversary of the God of War franchise. The 26-inch sculpture has been designed by the God of War team, features hand-finished leather, cloth, and metal, and is limited to 500 pieces.
Kratos’ latest outing was the remastered version of God of War III on PlayStation 4. In our review, which scored ‘8.8’, we said “God of War 3 was an impressive feat for its day, and it still impresses today,” before mentioning “Its beautiful graphics are prettier than ever, and a higher frame rate adds more fluidity to the action.”
Upcoming History Book Examines The Legend of Zelda’s US Localization
The Legend of Zelda's dubious English translation is getting its very own history book this December.
The text comes courtesy of professional and hobbyist translator Clyde "Tomato" Mandelin. His online series, Legends of Localization, examines the cultural and language barriers within localized games.
Legends of Localization Book 1: The Legend of Zelda will delve into altered "graphics, audio, and even secret tricks which were removed from the English version."
Comic Book Reviews for November 25, 2015
Just because it's Thanksgiving week in the US doesn't mean comic book publishers took a break. Several big releases hit the stands today, most notably DC's sales juggernaut The Dark Knight Returns III: The Master Race #1. Marvel added several new titles to the growing All-New, All-Different Marvel lineup, including Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Venom: Space Knight and the relaunched Silk. With other big releases like Archie #4 and Ringside #1 rounding things out, it was a pretty eventful week.
Due to the holiday, we're running a lighter load of reviews this week. Hopefully we covered all the biggest releases, and we'll be back in full force next week.
DC COMICS
Classic Team Lotus Cars, Historic Tracks Come to Project CARS
Slightly Mad Studios has delivered its latest batch of DLC for its expanding racing sim Project CARS. The Classic Lotus Track Expansion contains four iconic Team Lotus racing machines, plus three historic racetracks.
The cars include the 1967 Lotus Type 51, the 1965 Lotus Type 40 Ford, the 1966 Lotus Type 38 Ford (the first mid-engined car to win the Indianapolis 500), and the hugely influential 1963 Lotus Type 25 Climax (designed for the 1962 F1 championship and the first ever race car to use a monocoque chassis). The fresh tracks include French circuit Rouen-Les-Essarts (opened in 1950 but closed down in 1994), plus two now-extinct and vastly different configurations for Hockenheim and Silverstone.
Pokemon Picross Release Date Announced
Pokemon Picross is slated for release on December 3 on the Nintendo 3DS eShop, according to Pokemon's official site.
Pokemon Picross will be available free of charge, but players can purchase (with real money, Nintendo notes) "picrites"—which are described as "rare stones with magical powers." Picrates are used to unlock levels and recover your Pokemon's skills.
Your Pokemon have skills that can help you move through the levels—like Lucario, whose Hyper Scan skill "scans the grid and fixes incorrect squares," or Squirtle's Blue Force, which "changes the color of hint numbers to blue on rows with squares you can definitely fill in." After using a skill, some Pokemon will be unusable for some time, unless you purchase a picrate. Pokemon are collected by solving the puzzle of their likeness.